Accessibility, women's networks, safer spaces, privileges: May 28th marks the 12th German Diversity Day, proclaimed by the association "Charta der Vielfalt e. V.". Reason enough for us at codecentric to take up the impulse and spend an entire day explicitly focusing on diversity within our own company.
codecentric has signed the Charta der Vielfalt
Back in 2019, Rainer Vehns signed the Charta der Vielfalt on behalf of codecentric. This commits codecentric to recognizing and embracing diversity in its work culture. Rainer said at the signing:
"What unites our talents at codecentric is a passion for software and innovation. Unbiased collaboration and diversity in our corporate culture are therefore central to who we are."
We therefore decided to use Diversity Day primarily to raise more internal awareness of the topic of diversity, to broaden our horizons, but also to stay as close as possible to the real diversity at codecentric. That is why the day's program was shaped by the employees themselves.
Diversity Action Day at codecentric
For organizational reasons, codecentric moved the action day forward to May 24th. The majority of our employees are on client assignments during the week, so in order to give as many of them as possible the opportunity to participate in the program, we chose Friday, which many of them use for their professional development as part of our "OffProject Time".
Verena Deller, as Board Member responsible for People and Communications, opened the day's program. Not only as a signatory of the Charta der Vielfalt, but now also as a certified B Corp, codecentric is committed to social responsibility. Actively setting an example for diversity is part of that. At the same time, codecentric wants to give employees as much room as possible to help shape things. Accordingly, Verena handed over to the first two session hosts of the day.
Making privileges visible.
Things kicked off with an impulse from colleagues Myriam Traub and Constanze Thomas: What are privileges, anyway? The two explained the concept of "intersectionality" and the "Wheel of Power and Privilege". The latter is a visual tool that illustrates the various dimensions of social identity and the associated structures of power and privilege. In an exercise, employees were invited to anonymously place themselves on the wheel: Am I white? Do I have mental health conditions? Do I have a high level of education? Does my name disadvantage me when looking for housing?
The wheel can help us better understand the complex and intertwined structures of discrimination and privilege. This allows us to develop a deeper understanding of others' experiences and advocate more effectively for equality and inclusion. The two emphasized, however, that it is ultimately also a personal experience and that the model cannot claim to be universally correct. It was also noted that feelings of discomfort are a natural and normal reaction to engaging with privilege and diversity. These should ultimately be channeled constructively and not seen as a hindrance.
Integration, Safer Spaces & Women's Networks
Ulrich Halstenbach from WorkStadt then shared his perspective on the successful integration of international professionals into companies. What emerged above all was that diversity will evolve into super-diversity over the next five to ten years. In the coming years, increasing numbers of international professionals will come to Germany – and will be needed here. At that point, the argument goes, it will no longer be a question of willingness for companies to engage with the integration of diversity.
Our colleague Carl-Eric Menzel explained the principle behind "Safer Spaces" – an environment in which people feel safe, are allowed to make mistakes, can take risks, and in short, can be a fully valued member of a team. The value is, on the one hand, that people simply feel better in such an environment; on the other hand, studies show that it actually also boosts team performance. We need to be clear that sexist, racist, and other stereotypes exist in all of our minds, meaning mistakes in how we treat each other will inevitably happen. However, we can make our environment safer by, for example, fostering an open feedback culture and learning from our mistakes.
Constanze Thomas then spoke about women's networks. These are understood as organized networks aimed at strengthening women's professional opportunities, promoting exchange, and providing support in male-dominated environments where needed. At codecentric, an internal women's network has existed for several months now, with the dual purpose of supporting and empowering the women already working at codecentric, while also exploring how we can inspire even more women to work with and at codecentric. Constanze explained that the topic of "women in leadership positions" – i.e., the influence of women on the company – is identified in many studies as a key factor in helping a company become more diverse overall.
Accessibility
Anna Maier and Florian Geierstanger work on the topic of accessibility in software development as part of their roles. Digital accessibility means that a product can be used without restriction by all users, regardless of their limitations or technical capabilities. This ranges from outdated operating systems and poor connectivity, to permanent physical and cognitive impairments, through to the declining abilities that come with age. In principle, the German Disability Equality Act (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz) has regulated since 2019 that certain requirements must be met in this area. Unfortunately, this is not yet happening in practice to the desired extent. However, from 2025, the Accessibility Strengthening Act (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz) will also come into force, covering electronic services among other things. The two emphasized that, especially for us as an IT service provider, this will require a rethinking of our work in the future: accessibility is not solely a "frontend topic", but requires a holistic product mindset in which accessibility is an integral component.
Autism and Agility
Colleague Sylvia Werth rounded off the action day by giving us insights into working with autistic people, as we also have colleagues with "autism spectrum disorder" at codecentric. It is important to understand that autistic people experience and perceive some things differently from neurotypical people. Despite all the challenges, autistic people usually also have pronounced strengths: thoroughness, objectivity, honesty, loyalty, and a structured way of working, for example.
Why is it relevant to put the topics of autism and agility into context? From Sylvia's description of both the challenges and the strengths of autistic people, it became clear that autistic people need stability, reliability, routine, and objectivity. With agility, we often associate concepts like flexibility, spontaneity, adaptability, and so on. Agile working – as one autistic developer described it – compared to working in traditional teams is like working on the Next Generation Enterprise. Under Captain Picard, there are clear roles, but they are broad in scope. There are clear rituals and processes that everyone knows, and the team supports one another. Traditional teams tend to function more like the old Enterprise under Captain Kirk. There, an autistic person is automatically pushed into the role of the oddball Spock, since hierarchical power games, among other things, are extremely difficult for autistic people and can put them at a disadvantage, even when the quality of their work is good.
In short: autistic people can always be seen as an asset to teams, and it doesn't take much effort to define shared ground rules between neurodiverse and neurotypical people that both sides can benefit from.
A well-rounded action day at codecentric
The talks, which were held entirely remotely, were complemented at the individual locations with screenings, a diversity breakfast, and team discussions. We are delighted that so many employees took part with great interest, and that thanks to the contributions from our colleagues, we were able to take another small but meaningful step toward greater openness to diversity.